Full archive:At 1pm ET on https://t.co/jMfl1hQfmF @mls Super Draft w @TaylorTwellman @MLSAnalyst @jtyardley ESPN3 as well pic.twitter.com/PpQg6rJwa9— Russ Thaler (@RussThaler) January 14, 2016
Showing posts with label SuperDraft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SuperDraft. Show all posts
14 January 2016
2016 MLS SuperDraft
On January 14, I was an analyst on the MLSsoccer.com stream of the 2016 MLS SuperDraft.
13 March 2015
I'm baaack! It's never easy, but the 2015 schedule is starting to take shape
It’s been more than two months since I’ve last posted here. I’ll try not to go silent that long again.
While the last two-plus months did include an awesome vacation (hello, Diamond Head, at right), I’ve spent most of it (including parts of said vacation) trying to line up work for 2015. While last year was my best yet as a professional free-lancer, it left me with no guarantees and little scheduled work heading into 2015.
While I got some early chances to stay involved, covering the 2015 adidas MLS Player Combine (see me poolside!) and working on the online stream of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft for MLSsoccer.com, one (excellent, top-25) college basketball game on Jan. 16 was my only live sporting event in the first 65 days of 2015.
This is a not uncommon problem for me in the spring. In 2013, I went from Feb. 27 to June 1 without calling a major live event. Of course, I was planning a wedding at the time, so I had some things to do, but it was still extremely frustrating. Once I got started, however, I wound up covering a decent set of MLS games that year.
Since 2015 is my second year in the New York sports market, I have felt a little more confident than last year that work would eventually turn up. Don’t get me wrong, I was stressing it. I made calls and sent emails and went to meetings so that I could network. I sat around and waited for responses, agonized when other broadcasters got jobs I had hoped for, estimated the minimum I would make if no other jobs came along, and wondered when something good was going to happen.
Let’s just say it’s not my favorite time of year.
But I truly remained positive, moreso than in years past. My wife, my family members, and various colleagues all helped me to do so, and I fell back on the lessons of years past:
For now, I am happy to say that I am on track for a busy spring schedule calling soccer, baseball, and softball for my usual variety of networks and outlets. My season started by hosting the pre-game show for the Philadelphia Union’s record-setting 6abc broadcast last Saturday, the first time I have covered the opening weekend of MLS play since I was full-time with the Houston Dynamo in 2011.
The current highlight of my spring schedule is a March 21 softball game I will call for the SEC Network, featuring top-20 teams Tennessee and Missouri. It is the highest-level production I have ever worked for in a sport other than soccer, and it is a chance for me to prove I can call multiple sports and earn more work at that level.
I also expect to call baseball games on more days this year (5 and counting) than any year since 2006 (I called about 100 games that year in minor league baseball), which is an exciting return to my broadcasting roots.
Soccer will, thankfully and not surprisingly, continue to make up the bulk of my schedule for the year, and I am waiting on several opportunities in the first half of the year that will be very exciting if (when!) they work out.
The work of landing jobs is not done. It never is. Thinking about opportunities and what may be available in the future is never far from my thoughts.
But I've got games to study for and the temperature in New York City is above 40 degrees. That makes me excited to get out of the apartment and start working on 2015!
While I got some early chances to stay involved, covering the 2015 adidas MLS Player Combine (see me poolside!) and working on the online stream of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft for MLSsoccer.com, one (excellent, top-25) college basketball game on Jan. 16 was my only live sporting event in the first 65 days of 2015.
.@NYCFC draft pick Khiry Shelton joins the set with @joetolleson @johnharkes6 @jtyardley pic.twitter.com/jcYnhSQwrJ
— SiriusXM FC (@SiriusXMFC) January 15, 2015
This is not a comfortable position for a broadcaster. Not only is covering live events what I enjoy the most, but it’s also what I intend to make the lion’s share of my livelihood. Sitting around without work bums me out AND fails to pay the bills.This is a not uncommon problem for me in the spring. In 2013, I went from Feb. 27 to June 1 without calling a major live event. Of course, I was planning a wedding at the time, so I had some things to do, but it was still extremely frustrating. Once I got started, however, I wound up covering a decent set of MLS games that year.
Since 2015 is my second year in the New York sports market, I have felt a little more confident than last year that work would eventually turn up. Don’t get me wrong, I was stressing it. I made calls and sent emails and went to meetings so that I could network. I sat around and waited for responses, agonized when other broadcasters got jobs I had hoped for, estimated the minimum I would make if no other jobs came along, and wondered when something good was going to happen.
Let’s just say it’s not my favorite time of year.
But I truly remained positive, moreso than in years past. My wife, my family members, and various colleagues all helped me to do so, and I fell back on the lessons of years past:
- Something good will happen; I just don’t know when.
- Work will find you when you stop reaching for it.
- Be patient.
- Believe in yourself.
For now, I am happy to say that I am on track for a busy spring schedule calling soccer, baseball, and softball for my usual variety of networks and outlets. My season started by hosting the pre-game show for the Philadelphia Union’s record-setting 6abc broadcast last Saturday, the first time I have covered the opening weekend of MLS play since I was full-time with the Houston Dynamo in 2011.
The current highlight of my spring schedule is a March 21 softball game I will call for the SEC Network, featuring top-20 teams Tennessee and Missouri. It is the highest-level production I have ever worked for in a sport other than soccer, and it is a chance for me to prove I can call multiple sports and earn more work at that level.
Soccer will, thankfully and not surprisingly, continue to make up the bulk of my schedule for the year, and I am waiting on several opportunities in the first half of the year that will be very exciting if (when!) they work out.
The work of landing jobs is not done. It never is. Thinking about opportunities and what may be available in the future is never far from my thoughts.
But I've got games to study for and the temperature in New York City is above 40 degrees. That makes me excited to get out of the apartment and start working on 2015!
12 January 2012
Draft Day Diary
I’ve spent the last three SuperDrafts in the convention center, wearing a suit, and trying desperately to figure out if my team would make a trade. This year I’m on my couch, wearing shorts and a T-shirt, and trying desperately to keep my beagle from needing a bathroom break during the event itself. Slightly different experience. That said, following along via ESPN3 and various MLS personalities on Twitter could be a better way to experience this day of madness. Let’s find out:
11 January 2012
Four trends to watch on Thursday
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| GoZips.com |
Now there are mock drafts and rankings out there that mean a whole lot more than my version. They come from people who saw more college games than I did, saw the combine games in person rather than over the internet, and talk to coaches and general managers more frequently than I do. But I hope I can provide some perspective picked up from past drafts, so read on for four key trends to keep in mind while watching:
1. Great Expectations – While every player is drafted for a reason, most MLS teams don’t plan for anybody other than a top-10 pick to have an impact in his first year. From last year, think Nagbe, Kitchen, Valentin, Soares, Anibaba. If somebody gets production from the bottom half of the first round (Sapong, Bruin, Balchan, Meram), that’s great. But teams generally don’t base their lineup plans around anybody except those first 10 players, so Darren Mattocks (pictured above) and co. will face some serious pressure to produce.
Scouting the SuperDraft
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